In hospital operating rooms, emergency treatment rooms, veterinaries, mortuaries, pathology laboratories, physician's offices and dentist's offices, millions of suction procedures are performed annually. Such suction operations or procedures are conducted for removal and/or collection and disposal of body fluids such as blood, urine, saliva, body treatment fluids, body tissues, organs, organ sections or portions, bone chips and contaminated vapors or fumes generated from cauterization or laser beam surgical procedures.
In all such suction operations, a pressure drop (vacuum) between the point of suction and the point of collection and/or precipitation is utilized in order to induce the flow through conduits from the suction point towards the collection point. When such vacuum induced flow for collection and/or precipitation of fluids, organs and vapors is conducted, a potential hazard arises since the carrier air (exhausted beyond the collection/precipitation point) may be contaminated with harmful pathogenic bacteria, germs, viruses, particles, fluid mists, vapors, and gases. When the carrier air is exhausted in a limited or finite space, such as within a dentist's or physician's office, or a small clinic, the immediate surrounding environment will be contaminated with such hazardous contaminants. When the carrier air is collected in a common or central location, for example in hospitals, it is usually exhausted outdoors, thus causing a potential outdoor contamination hazard, particularly in the immediate neighborhood.
Presently, suction procedures are conducted so that fluids, tissue and vapors are collected at a first collection point or container within the room at which the surgical or medical procedure is conducted. The precipitation and collection of the fluids and tissues is usually done in clear plastic canisters. A typical collection canister is of a truncated conical shape, with approximately 5 inches upper end diameter, 31/2 inches lower end diameter and 12 inches height. Such collection canisters are fitted with inlet and outlet hose connection nipples, and a cup shaped float which acts as an automatic shut-off valve and closes the outlet flow point when the level of material in the cannister reaches a certain point. This eliminates any overflow problems. When shut-off occurs the pressure drop or vacuum necessary for the suction process is stopped and the collection canister is disconnected and either emptied or replaced with an empty container.
The majority of prior art collection canisters utilize only gravity for precipitation and collection of fluid and tissue, thus permitting contaminated or hazardous fumes, mists and vapors to be exhausted where they contaminate the indoor environment or the outdoor atmosphere. More advanced types of prior art collection canisters utilize a highly efficient filtration system that traps up to 99.9% of aerosolized microorganisms and particulate matter in order to prevent airborne contamination. Unsolved problems still exist with such prior art systems.
A first problem is that even 0.1% or less of aerosolized microorganisms escaping through such filtration systems may be sufficient to contaminate the intermediate exhaust air conduits, and thus pose a contamination hazard for the indoor environment and/or the outdoor atmosphere. Further, since viruses range in size from 100 to 2000 Angstroms, it is virtually impossible to achieve complete filtration of the viruses from the carrier air before the carrier air is delivered to the intermediate exhaust air conduits.
A second problem is that bacteria trapped in the highly efficient filtration system can multiply at a high rate due to moisture in the filter resulting from trapping organic fluids such as blood and saliva. In effect, the filter acts as a favorable medium for the bacteria to multiply and subsequently escape into the intermediate exhaust air conduit as suction continues.
A third problem is that the contents of the collection cannisters are highly contaminated and disposal of the container poses a contamination hazard to the soil of its disposal site, and to the atmosphere surrounding the disposal sites.
Accordingly, a need exists for medical waste collection apparatus to collect and precipitate fluids, tissue, mists and vapors in such a manner that nothing harmful is allowed to escape to either the indoor environment or the outdoor environment, before or after disposal.
A need also exists for means in medical waste collection apparatus to disinfect the medical waste contents of collection containers in order to make the disposal of such containers non-contaminating to both the soil of the disposal site and to the atmosphere surrounding the site.
There is also a need for means in medical waste collection apparatus to disinfect suction carrier air passing therethrough prior to its exhaust to the indoor or outdoor environment.